Yes, dogs do dream. Most of our dreams, especially vivid ones, happen during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Importantly, Deirdre Barrett, of Harvard University says, “this stage of sleep looks very similar across all mammals.”
Evidence suggests that dogs may have some kind of experience while sleeping. One popular theory of dreaming is the continuity hypothesis, which holds that dreams are built from the stuff of waking life.
We dream about what we pay attention to while awake and for dogs that includes food, toys, running, chasing squirrels and, of course, us humans.
Unfortunately, animal minds are the ones we have the least access to when it comes to researching dreams. Other humans can tell us about their dreams, but our furry friends have no way of expressing what goes on behind closed eyelids. Still, most dog parents have no doubt: When a slumbering pup starts kicking and barking, there ...
